1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to bundling or tie straps of the character disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,022,557, and more particularly relates to a one-piece bundling strap manufactured from a single material having means to ensure the firm gripping of the tail end of said strap within the apertured self-clinching head end portion thereof against reverse movement of the strap body relative to said head-end portion, means being associated with said bundling strap to indicate the presence of tampering.
2. Prior Art
Flexible bundling straps adapted to be looped about a plurality of loose elements or about the neck of a flexible container and drawn taught thereabout in self-clinching relationship are well known. Bundling or tie straps of this nature are comprised of an elongated flexible strap adapted to be wrapped around a plurality of items to be bundled or about a pouch to be sealed (eg: cloth bag or money-carrying bag), pulled taut and held taut by a relatively rigid tongue means disposed within the head-end of the strap. The head-end has a throughaperture therein adapted to receive the opposite or tail-end of said strap, said tongue means adapted to coact with the tail-end of said strap so as to retain the strap against reverse movement thereof.
An example of a tie or bundling strap of this nature is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,047 to Schwester et al. The apertured head-end portion of Schwester has a self-clinching tongue means that must be inserted into the head-end portion at a predetermined angle using an additional step in the process of manufacturing the strap, increasing the cost thereof. Undetected tampering may be accomplished by prying and removing the tongue means from clinching engagement with the strap body using a thin, sharp implement, and slipping the strap out of the aperture in the head-end. Tampering may also be accomplished by deforming the head-end, thereby releasing the tongue. This would allow the bundled items to be unbundled or the closed pouch to be opened and access gained to the interior thereof. Thereafter the items may be rebundled or pouch reclosed using the same strap without evidence of tampering.
A further effort at providing a tamper-proof bundling strap of the type here under consideration is disclosed in applicants' U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,055, which is directed to a security cap adapted to cover the head-end portion of the bundling strap and thereby preclude access to said tongue means. The cover is comprised of a generally flat sheet of semirigid or rigid material bent along transverse axes into a three-dimensional generally rectangular member. Through openings are provided therein which correspond with the positions through which the thin bundling strap body is passed when in use. Such a structure, however, is relatively costly to produce and time consuming and cumbersome to use, but is nevertheless effective.
It is a principal object of the instant invention, therefore, to provide a tamper-proof self-clinching bundling strap.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tamper-proof self-clinching bundling strap having locking means wherein the body portion thereof is adapted to be locked by a novel and inexpensive locking means against reverse movement throughout its length when looped upon itself and drawn through the apertured head-end portion of the strap.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a novel tamper-proof self-clinching bundling strap manufactured as a single piece from a relatively brittle material which will fracture when exposed to predetermined tampering forces.
In accordance with these and other objects which will be apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.